Psychology and the Nature of Humanity

In current educational psychology, both the works of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky have become prominent in an understanding of developmental cognition in childhood (Duchesne, McMaugh, Bochner & Karuse, 2013, p. 56). Their theories are complimentary and provide a more rigorous comprehension of childhood development (Shayer, M., 2003, p. 465). Their varying principles are applicable to many situations concerning the development of children. The focuses of Piaget and Vygotsky on the ways of childhood development differ. Piaget was focused on the four developmental stages of cognitive growth in his Theory of Cognitive Development, whilst Vygotsky’s principles were based on development in a societal manner with his

Developmental theory, with Piaget as the most prominent theorist, presents the idea that children actively construct knowledge as they manipulate and explore the world around them. Development is seen to take place in broad stages from birth through to adulthood, with each stage characterized by qualitatively distinct ways of thinking. However, some developmental theorists, in contrast to Piaget, place more emphasis on personal, social and emotional development rather than cognitive development and prefer to delay ‘academic’ experiences until later, for instance after the age of seven years in Steiner’s theory.

Vygotsky proposed that children’s development is affected by their culture and social interaction. He also suggested that children are not born with knowledge but they gain it through their social interactions with peers and adults; he does not rule out the importance of biological processes but proposes an interdependent relationship between biological development alongside social activity and cultural interaction.

The chapter discusses how human development is affected by the nature in which a person is born into. It discusses how worldviews regarding child 's development vary among different regions throughout the continents. The chapter goes into the similarities of cultures as well as the differences of how humans develop across the board in all areas of thought in different regions of the world. The author tries to link human development with cultural aspects of how problem solving occurs as far as cultural influences are concerned. The nature of human development may occur in a pattern with all types of cultures and background.

In Genesis the word of God leads humanity in the direction of self preservation, urging them to procreate, to ”Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 9:1), and to minimize hostility and violence among people. As Freud asserted, “Besides the instinct to preserve living substance and join it into ever larger units, there must exist another, contrary instinct seeking to dissolve those units and bring them back to their primeval, inorganic state” (Freud 77). Genesis exemplifies the struggle between the two opposing human instincts, with God acting as a moderator between them. Forms of justice are put into place in an attempt to control these drives, one example being the proclamation that “Whoever sheds the blood of a human, by a human shall that person’s blood be shed” (Genesis 9:6). The ethics and laws that develop throughout Genesis seek to “prevent the crudest excesses of brutal violence” but are unable to control “the more cautious and refined manifestations of human aggressiveness” (Freud 70). Since they cannot be completely eradicated, the scriptures instead play into the more negative aspects of human nature, especially narcissism, and manipulate them into a force for conservation rather than annihilation.

Human nature by essence has been the cause of many entrepreneurial paths, all follow to known the essence itself behind of what we conceive as life. Moreover it’s righteous description and abstract content, that many great man has humbly studied and that for centuries have made a path closely enough to the understanding of it, yet far from the light, it seems to be and unsolvable question that gives us a “Raison d'être” to our existence in this world.

At the centre of Piaget's theory is the principle that cognitive development occurs in a series of four distinct, universal stages, each characterized by increasingly sophisticated and

The clear difference between black and white psychology was mind boggling. It never occurred to me that there was a division in the field of psychology. I thought that psychology was objective the study of human behavior and their interaction with the environment. This shows that racism it deeply rooted in our actions and can affect any discipline. Even some of the theories displayed racism such as the Hereditary Genius theory. I knew that there were instances of racism in psychology but I didn’t know that it was so dominant in the field. This new information has made me question my view on certain issues in psychology. I am now more appreciative of the opportunity I have here studying psychology as a black person. In previous times, black student did not have the privilege of education because they were considered to be inferior and stupid. In my opinion, even when there were educational opportunities the system was design in a way to ensure the failure of black people.

Black psychologists faced many unique challenges in their quest for inclusion and voice in the professional and academic community of Psychology. However, the Civil Rights movement began an era of transformation that impacted several sectors of society, including the professional and academic spheres. Both the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) and the Black Students Psychological association (BSPA) played a significant role in challenging the American Psychological Association’s (APA) discriminatory actions towards the Black community and the general lack of awareness of the field’s exclusively White and euro-centric framework. The ABPsi was established at the APA convention of 1968, where they disrupted a meeting of the APA Board of Directors meeting to present their concerns with the establishment. During this formal protest, they declared that “Members of the Association have pledged themselves to the realization that they are Black people first and psychologists second. Accordingly, they will not continue to ignore the exploitation of the Black community” (Williams, 1974).

African American Psychology differs from other types of psychology due to the oppressive nature of America’s historical and present day society. This constant and recurring nature of oppression has had several negative impacts on the psyche of Black people as a whole. African centered psychology revolves around values of spirituality, interconnectedness, collectivism, and self-knowledge. However, due to oppressive societal perspectives, these values have all somewhat undergone a drastic change. This drastic change is deeply rooted in the occurrences of chattel slavery and colonization. Both of these violent aspects of African American History have contributed to a Black person’s struggle of obtaining a healthy racial identity. Developing a

There are multiple theories explaining how cognitive development occurs. Piaget’s stage theory, for example, focuses on whether children progress qualitatively through stages of development (Diener 2017). A theory based in nature vs. nurture, Piaget believed a child’s cognition develops biologically as they grow, based on their interactions with the environment. Sociocultural theory, on the other hand, believes children are influenced by the beliefs, values, perceptions, and opinions of those around them. Finally, information processing theories suggest that children process the information they receive and do not merely react to stimulus.

Children are taught conditional positive regard. When parents need to correct a child’s behavior, love is usually withheld. They are taught to hide faults and weaknesses rather than accepting them. However, through unconditional positive regard individuals may know that they are loved unconditionally. “By acceptance I mean a warm regard for him as a person of unconditional self- worth- of value no matter what his condition, his behavior, or his feelings (Rogers, 1961).”

And when parents are physically or emotionally abusive, when they are absent, when they are erratic in doling out love or approval – the seeds of people pleasing behaviors are planted early, and reinforced. Not only does the child seek validation, but avoidance of pain, or the foreboding sensation that disapproval promises dire consequences.

In the 21st century, most caregivers know how children grow and develop. They are also aware of the social, cognitive and cultural factors that influence infants and children in their development. There are numerous theories that have been developed to explain the patterns of cognitive and language development in children. The most popular theory that provides the framework used in this analysis of infant and child psychology is Piaget’s stages of cognitive development and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theories.

Unlike Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, which stresses that cognitive development was expected to mature through self initiated discovery, Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory places greater emphasis on the influence a child’s culture, social factor, and language. Meaning, Vygotsky believed a child learns more from personal interaction with in his/her culture, rather than through individual experiences of chance and random. Social interaction with one’s culture plays a tremendous role in the cognitive development of an individual. Culturally specific tools and language, taught and passes from generation to generation, are perceived practice for one’s survival in social